Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Bay Area Husker ENews 9-24-09

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans! Ouch!

That one really hurt. After a slow start in the first quarter the Huskers seemed to control the game for almost three quarters. We all thought they had it in the bag, and then it was shades of old Oklahoma games...the other team got a lucky break at the last minute to ruin what should have been a well earned win. Oh, well...lotsa woulda, coulda, shoulda arm chair quarterbacking. What's encouraging is to hear Coach Pelini say that this one point loss was potentially the catalyst that has brought the team together and sparked a determination to pick it up a notch and kick some butt the rest of the season. I feel sorry for Louisiana Lafayette, they may not recover from the shellacking they are probably gonna get on Saturday...especially since its homecoming, the 300th sellout etc. Can't wait to watch the festivities.Lots of good reading below, including a good joke at the end...enjoy.

Go Big Red (White and Blue),Carl

Watch Sites Prepared for Pay-Per-View Broadcast:Three of our four watch sites will be paying for the PPV broadcast of the game Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. The only one that won't is Knuckles in Monterey. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. Pacific Time so put on your Big Red Duds, grab a seat (if you can find one) and cheer on the Huskers. Because its a PPV game, we will be passing the pitcher again to defray the $400 cost to the watch site proprietors, so if everyone tosses in $5-10 bucks we should be able to pay the tab.

Jack's in Fremont will have their famous Prime Rib available for dinner during the game, so come hungry and get your order in early before they run out.

Steve Curry says that Final-Final in San Francisco has evolved from a sleepy little Husker bar 4-5 years ago with only a couple of fans, to a full fledged overflow crowd this year. With over 110 in attendance last weekend they actually had Husker fans waiting outside until other fans left to make room. If you are a Final-Final regular, and you aren't on Steve's email list for game updates, let me know and I'll point you in his direction.

==========HUSKERS FALL TO HOKIES IN FINAL SECONDS...

Blacksburg, Va. - In a game featuring two of the best special teams units in college football, Nebraska's Alex Henery took center stage by booting a career-high five field goals, but Tyrod Taylor's 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts with 21 seconds left allowed the No. 13 Hokies to escape with a 16-15 win over the No. 19 Huskers at Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in front of 66,233 fans and an ABC television audience, the Huskers got off to a slow start in the first quarter but controlled the action until Virginia Tech's final drive.

Henery's five field goals appeared to be enough to give the Huskers their first road win over a top-20 team since 1997, while also giving NU its first win without scoring a touchdown since beating Kansas State, 3-0 in Manhattan, on Nov. 27, 1937.

But Taylor, who had been stymied by a relentless Blackshirt defense throughout the game, connected with Danny Coale on an 81-yard pass with 1:11 left to take the Hokies to the NU 3. Matt O'Hanlon made a game-saving tackle on the play, then registered an eight-yard sack of Taylor on Virginia Tech's next snap to take the Hokies back to 2nd-and-goal from the NU 11. The Blackshirts blitzed again and forced Taylor to throw the ball away to set up 3rd-and-goal. With the clock running and pressure coming, Taylor scrambled for several seconds before finding Roberts in the end zone for the winning score with 21 seconds left.

Virginia Tech improved to 2-1 with the victory, while Nebraska slipped to 2-1 on the young season.

"It's disappointing we lost the game. We just didn't make enough plays to win," Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said. "I take my hat off to Virginia Tech. They made enough plays to win and we didn't. We didn't do what was necessary to win the football game. We had a lot of opportunities and we didn't capitalize on them. It's a shame."

"I think you give Nebraska credit. People thought I was blowing smoke when I said they were back, but I think they are back. That is a tough way for those guys to lose, but I really believe they are back on course and are going to be a factor in the Big 12.”

Henery, a junior from Omaha, went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts on the day, covering 40, 27, 19, 38 and 38 yards, extending his streak of consecutive field goals made under 50 yards to 19. The Lou Groza Award candidate also unleashed the fourth-longest punt in Nebraska history with a 76-yard bomb in the first quarter. For the game, Henery punted six times for a 41.5-yard average, including two punts inside the 20 and two touchbacks.

"He did a great job. He has been automatic and he stepped up today," Pelini said of Henery after the game. "We shouldn't have to send him out there that many times."

While Henery's leg did all the scoring for the Huskers, the legs of Roy Helu Jr. and Niles Paul covered most of the ground to set up Nebraska's scores. Helu Jr., a Doak Walker Award candidate, rushed for a career-high 169 yards on 28 carries and added a team-high four receptions for 33 yards to account for 202 all-purpose yards.==========

PELINI PRESS CONFERENCE: WE'RE MOVING ON...

Lincoln - Coach Bo Pelini said the No. 25 Nebraska football team is moving on after its last-minute loss at No. 13 Virginia Tech, and will be focused on playing with passion in the Huskers' regular-season non-conference finale at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Pelini and the Huskers will welcome Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1) to Memorial Stadium for a 4 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised on a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View basis. Nebraska will be celebrating Homecoming in Lincoln and the NCAA-record 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium, but Pelini said the Big Red will keep their focus on the field.

"We're going to come out Saturday and I promise you, you are going to see a group of guys playing with passion. You're not going to see anybody crying about what happened last week," Pelini said. "Our guys are going to come out and play our tails off. That's what's going to happen. I vow that's what is going to happen on Saturday."

The Huskers will need to be on top of their games to knock off the Ragin' Cajuns, who come to Memorial Stadium with a 2-1 record that includes a 17-15 win over Kansas State and their lone loss at No. 9 LSU.

"I'm fairly familiar with the personnel and some of the people they have from my time down in Louisiana," Pelini said. "They're a pretty talented football team. They have a lot of athleticism. Obviously you saw what they did two weeks ago (against Kansas State)."

Pelini said the Huskers will hope to learn from the loss at Virginia Tech and continue improving on the field each week, starting with Saturday's game against the Ragin' Cajuns.

"Bottom line as a football team, we lost the football game. We need to get that fixed and we need to move on. If we address it the right way, as coaches, as players, and as a whole football team, it will make us better. I take the approach with our players, if you watch the film, you look at what needs to get fixed, you fix it, and you'll be better because of it. It means standing up and taking responsibility for what happened, each and every one of us, and moving on."==========

Nebraska's NCAA record 300th consecutive sellout crowd Saturday night at Memorial Stadium for the Louisiana-Lafayette game will focus the spotlight on three important groups:

The family of the late Bob Devaney

The son and the daughter of the late Bob and Phyllis Devaney will attend this weekend's festivities and be introduced to the milestone crowd during the game. Mike Devaney (and his wife, Suzanne) now live in Arizona, and Pat Devaney lives in California. Their father won back-to-back national championships at Nebraska and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He turned Nebraska's football fortunes around in his first year as head coach in 1962. The Huskers had not had a winning season since 1954, but went 9-2 in 1962 and won Nebraska's first ever bowl game (a 36-34 triumph over Miami in the Gotham Bowl).

The players, coaches and staff from the 1962 team

All will be honored at a banquet Friday night at the Wick Center and during pre-game ceremonies Saturday night. Twenty-one members of the 1962 team will return for the weekend festivities - Ernie Bonistall, Curtis Bryan, Dick Callahan, co-captain Dwain Carlson, Dennis Claridge, Larry Donovan, John Kirby, John Koinzan, Noel Martin, Joe McNulty, William Paschall, Tyrone Robertson, Jed Rood, Willie Ross, Lyle Sittler, Maynard Smidt, John Strohmyer, Larry Tomlinson, Douglas Tucker, John Vujevich and Gene Young. Four members of Devaney's first Husker coaching staff also will attend - John Melton (freshman coach), Jim Ross (ends and defensive backs), Carl Selmer (offensive line) and Tom Osborne, Nebraska's athletic director who was a graduate assistant coach at NU in 1962. Devaney died on May 9, 1997, and three other members of his first staff also are deceased - Mike Corgan (offensive backfield), George Kelly (defensive line) and Cletus Fischer (freshman line coach).

Husker fans who have produced sellouts for every game for the last 47 years

The first sellout in the record streak at Memorial Stadium came in Devaney's first year at Nebraska - Homecoming on Nov. 3 against Missouri. It was the Huskers' seventh game that season and fifth at home. Capacity then was only 31,080. In addition to thanking Devaney and the role he played in transforming Nebraska's football program, Osborne sees Saturday night as a tribute to Husker fans for their support over the last 47 years. The Huskers have won 260 of their 299 consecutive sellouts at home, and the total number of fans who have passed through the Memorial Stadium gates during those 299 games is 22,127,996.

The highlight of Saturday night's 300th celebration is the long-awaited throwback uniforms designed by adidas to match those worn by Nebraska in 1962. The Huskers will wear the uniforms as a tribute to the 1962 team, and 93 uniforms are being auctioned to the public as full sets, including pants, jerseys and helmets, on Huskers.com. The auction began in August and will end on Oct. 7. Each uniform available for auction has reached the minimum bid of $500. Replica jerseys and helmets also are on sale through Huskers Authentic.

Husker Fans Asked to Dress Retro but Red

With the football team wearing retro uniforms, Husker fans are also encouraged to join in the fun. They're being asked to dress retro but still wear red to the game. This will be a fun way for fans to join in on the festivities surrounding this landmark event, and add to the traditional spirit of the day. Make your plans now to wear red retro sweaters, jackets, suits, dresses and Husker carnations!

Other Celebration Activities Include:

300th sellout logo placements on the field.

The state capitol will be beaming in red to celebrate the occasion.

Members of the 1962 team will be signing autographs at the pavilion and will take part in the Husker Sports Marketing pregame radio show from the Pavilion stage.

Homecoming will also be celebrated on Sept. 26 and the theme this year is "Game On" with many of the floats featuring a 300th theme and retro look.

Weather permitting, Husker fans have enjoyed flyovers for nearly every game in recent years. The flyover for the 300th sellout promises to be retro as well.

The Cornhusker Marching band will play songs from the early 60s.

Video salutes by HuskerVision for the 1962 team and the Devaney family; special video messages to Husker fans from Nebraska celebrities and a special postgame fan tribute video.

100-percent biodegradable balloons with the 300th logo on them for Husker scores!

No celebration is complete without fireworks! Weather permitting, there will be a reason for fans to stay in their seats until the end of the game.

A commemorative logo, exclusive to adidas,will be usedin official 300th sellout apparel and will be available at the Huskers Authentic Team Store and other Husker retail shops.

Game tickets, programs and posters have been designed to look like those printed in the early 1960s.

A commemorative ticket poster print is available at the Huskers Authentic Team Store for $5 each. Each of the 300 ticket stubs were donated to the athletic department by Willis and Fran Regier of Bellevue. All season ticket holders (one per account) received a coupon in the mail for one free print.

The commission of a Mike Sullivan painting for display in the Osborne Athletic Complex lobby.The painting by the nationally known artist is part of a salute to Husker fans and will be unveiled to fans and media on Thursday, Sept. 24.

An on-site display featuring memorabilia from the 1960s is available in the West Stadium main entry.

At the Husker Nation Pavilion, every team picture from 1962 to current will be on display.Two 25-foot 300th sellout logos will be painted on the field.

Additional Sellout Streak Notes

Notre Dame is second in all-time consecutive sellouts with 206, 93 fewer than Nebraska.

The Huskers are 260-39 during the 299 sellouts to date.The mark includes a 39-24 record against ranked teams.

Nebraska is 5-0 in the five milestone sellouts during that period (50th, 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th sellouts), including a 24-7 win over No. 2 Colorado on Oct. 29, 1994 (No. 200) and a 44-13 victory over Utah State on Sept. 7, 2002 (No. 250).

Nebraska will have played 75 different opponents from 35 different states during the 300-game sellout streak.

Nebraska coaches lost just 39 games in 47 years at home during the streak. Bob Devaney (1962 to 1972, 11 years) posted a 50-9 record; Tom Osborne (1973-1997, 25 years) went 145-16; Frank Solich (1998-2003, 6 years) posted a 38-4 record; Bill Callahan was 19-8 (2004-2007, 4 years); and current head coach Bo Pelini is 6-2 (2009-present).

==========HUSKERS GEAR UP FOR 300th SELLOUT...

Two 25-foot 300th sellout logos will be painted on the field for Saturday's game.

The Nebraska football team hit the practice field on Wednesday for a two-hour workout on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields located just northwest of Memorial Stadium. The Cornhuskers are in preparation for their upcoming matchup against Sun Belt foe Louisiana Lafayette on Saturday.

The Huskers practiced in half pads as they tune up for their last non-conference opponent of the season. Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini addressed the media after practiced and was pleased with the way the team has practiced this week.

"It was a good practice," Pelini said. "We had a good practice, had a good week so far."Coach Pelini talked about the challenges his defense will face this week against the Ragin' Cajuns offense.

"Their offensive line is good. They're good run and pass," Pelini said. "They don't make a lot of mistakes. They don't hurt themselves. They are pretty balanced. They have a good passing game. They have a difficult running game to defend, they give you tons of different formations and they make you think. It's a good offense. They really thought it through and they create difficult situations for a defense."

One area of emphasis for the Husker coaches this week will be getting pressure on the quarterback. Through the first two games of the season, the Ragin' Cajuns' offense has yet to allow a single sack, a stat that caught the eye of coach Pelini.

"Great protection, but even when the protection breaks down the quarterback does a great job, gets rid of the ball on time," Pelini said. "He knows when to get ride of it, when to throw it away and when his feet will get him out of trouble. It's really a whole team thing. You can tell philosophically, even a year ago different quarterback and different quarterback, same type of thing. They don't give up a lot of sacks. Obviously, that's a big coaching point for them."

The Huskers will return the practice field on Thursday. This Saturday's game marks the 300th consecutive sellout for Memorial Stadium. Check Huskers.com for events scheduled to celebrate this weekend's memorable match up. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PDT.==========

The Mike Sullivan mural in the North Stadium lobby will be the largest tile mural in North America.

Nebraska to Unveil Mural Commemorating 300th Straight Sellout

The University of Nebraska will commemorate its 300th consecutive football sellout at Memorial Stadium with a 22x28 ft.-themed mural designed by renowned artist Mike Sullivan.

According to Paul Whitehill of Images In Tile, a leading tile mural manufacturer based in Joplin, Mo., the mural in the North Stadium lobby of the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex will be "the single largest ceramic tile mural that has ever been created in North America".

The mural embodies the Cornhuskers' legendary football past and will be unveiled on Thursday, Sept. 24th, as part of a special set of installations at large colleges and universities across the country.

The mural has 616 12"x12" mosaic tiles and depicts a sold-out Memorial Stadium with football players celebrating while red balloons take flight to signal Nebraska's first touchdown of the game.

The concept for the mural was a collaborative effort among Osborne, Nebraska's former head coach and current athletic director, University officials and Sullivan. All had insight into the creation of the mural, which has been incorporated into the newly designed North Stadium lobby to attract fans and to appeal to recruits.

"We know how important first impressions are for recruits, and we believe the Mike Sullivan mural will be a focal point that emphasizes our tradition for recruits and their parents when they first walk in the door," Osborne said. "It's kind of a warm way to welcome everyone, and we think it complements all of our other new displays of Husker history and memorabilia."

Sullivan agrees. "Watching Nebraska football over the years has really shown me the passion and the power of the Huskers and their fans," he said. "Seeing the Tunnel Walk and the sea of red in the crowd is an amazing visual image and creates a statement of what Nebraska football is all about."

Sullivan said his goal was to create a mural that would capture that unique spirit of Husker football and give a person the sense of the history, pride and accomplishments of an elite program that has unequalled loyalty and fan support.-From an early age, Sullivan has shown a penchant for drawing and painting. His artwork has raised money for many charities and foundations, including The Magic Johnson Foundation and The Pat Tillman Foundation.

Sullivan's work continues to grow as he focuses on the human figure in sports and play, as well as other subjects created in his unique "chiseled" style of painting. Collectors of his work include Karl Malone, Ben Roethlisberger, Leigh Steinberg, John Salley, Carson Palmer, Jake Plummer, Tim Brown, Stephen Jones and many other athletes, corporations and art collectors. Sullivan's art is displayed as part of a series of murals in such places as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the University of Texas and Arizona State University.

==========HENERY AWARDED WITH BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK...Junior placekicker Alex Henery has earned Nebraska's first conference award of the season as he was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following his five field-goal performance at Virginia Tech.

Henery connected on attempts from 40, 27, 19, 38 and 38 yards to mark the second-most field goals in a single game in school history and the fourth time the Omaha native has made at least four field goals in a game.

The junior is 6-of-7 this season and 32-of-36 in his career, while also serving as the starting punter, where he logged a 41.5-yard average on six punts against the Hokies, including the fourth-longest punt in school history with a 76-yard blast in the first quarter.

Henery gained additional accolades on Monday when he was voted one of three "Stars of the Week" from the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicker Award. The award recognizes three kickers from the FBS division each week until the season prize is presented as part of ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8 in Orlando, Fla.

Ndamukong Suh and Ricky Henry have to make sure that friendly fire doesn't overheat in practice.

So what's the big difference in Ndamukong Suh from last year to this year? Is he faster? Yes. Stronger? Yes. Meaner? Yes. Tougher? Yes.

Credit James Dobson for making the senior All-America defensive tackle faster and stronger. Nebraska's strength and conditioning coach found the right training mix to help Suh sculpt a leaner body at the same time he was developing more explosion in his feet and legs.

Credit offensive right guard Ricky Henry for making the nation's leading Outland Trophy candidate meaner and tougher.

What was true in Nebraska's national championship years in the mid-1990s seems to ring true this year for at least two players in the trenches ... sometimes, perhaps even most times, Saturdays are easier than weekdays.

And Suh knows why. His aggressive one-on-one battles with Nebraska's most physical offensive guard has created a love-hate relationship with the teammate who lines up across from him every day in practice.

He loves Ricky Henry for making him meaner and tougher. But there are also daily doses of hatred buried in the midst of their unrelenting, oftentimes dramatic battles.

Henry, you see, has the kind of nastiness that all offensive line coaches enjoy, and that includes Nebraska's Barney Cotton.

"Ricky and Big Suh go at each other hard. They don't stop until the whistle blows," Nebraska assistant strength coach Chad Wade said before correcting himself. "Actually, they don't stop until they hear the echo of that whistle. That's why it's never boring to watch those two battle each other. It's all-out war every play, every day."

That intense physicality has made Henry a highly effective first-year starter.And it's made Big Suh an even bigger star than he was a year ago.==========

HUSKERS IN THE NFL - WEEK 2...

Lincoln - A total of 19 former Huskers saw action during Week 2 of the 2009 NFL season. A total of 11 former Blackshirts combined to make 47 tackles, including Tampa Bay’s Barrett Rudd who totaled 14 stops.

Now in his fifth season with in the NFL, Sunday marked the 14th time in Ruud’s career that he has racked up double-digit tackles. The 14 stops also tied his career high, which he first set last season against Atlanta in Week 15. Even with Ruud’s dominating day, Tampa Bay fell to 0-2 with a 33-20 loss to Chris Kelsay’s Buffalo Bills.

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Scott Shanle also hit the double-digit mark in tackles with 11 stops against Philadelphia in a 48-22 rout of the Eagles. Shanle’s 11 tackles (10 solo) were a career high, after previously recording 10 stops on four occasions. The seven-year veteran also intercepted a pass for the second straight week, one of three interceptions that the Saints had against Eagles’ quarterback Kevin Kolb.

The Broncos’ Correll Buckhalter got in the endzone for the first time in 2009 with a 45-yard scamper against Cleveland. Buckhalter ended the day with nine carries for 76 yards, producing an impressive 8.4 yards per carry. The versatile back also caught one pass out of the backfield, resulting in a 30-yard pick up. With a 27-6 win over the Browns, Denver is now 2-0.

Mueller, who reached the 20-kill mark for the second time this season, led three Huskers (9-3, 2-1 Big 12) in double figures in kills, as the Aggies (9-1, 2-0 Big 12) picked up their first win over Nebraska in the last 20 matches in the series since 1999.

Lindsey Licht had 13 kills on .423 hitting, while Hannah Werth added 11 kills and 12 digs. Nebraska out-hit the Aggies, .253-.236, but the Huskers were hurt by 11 service errors and six Aggie aces, compared to only two for the Huskers. It was the first time NU out-hit an opponent but lost since falling at Colorado in 2006.==========

Licht, an Aurora, Colo., native, shined in NU’s sixth sweep of the year, as her 16 kills were a season best while she also hit a season-high .481 on 27 swings to help Nebraska improve to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12.

All-American Tara Mueller also added 11 kills on .350 hitting and eight digs, as the Huskers held the Buffaloes (5-6, 0-2 Big 12) to .042 hitting on the night==========

PETTIT TO RECEIVE DR. BARBARA HIBNER TRAILBLAZER AWARD...

The University of Nebraska Athletic Department is proud to announce that former NU head volleyball coach Terry Pettit is the recipient of the 2009 Dr. Barbara Hibner Trailblazer Award.

Pettit will be presented with the award at the Nebraska vs. Texas volleyball match this Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m., and will be acknowledged for this achievement at the football game against Louisiana-Lafayette that evening at 6 p.m.

The Trailblazer Award was first given in 2000 to honor outstanding support and generous contributions to women’s athletics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2007, it was renamed the Dr. Barbara Hibner Trailblazer Award in honor of Dr. Barbara Hibner, a longtime member of the Nebraska Athletic Department and inaugural recipient of the award, who passed away on March 7, 2007.

Past winners of the award, in addition to Hibner, include the Raimondi family in 2001, Ione Bowlin in 2002, the Betty Geis family in 2003, Carol Frost in 2004, Pinnacle Sports Productions in 2005, Dr. Joanne Owens Nauslar in 2006, current head softball coach Rhonda Revelle in 2007 and the Stephen Rohman family in 2008.

“The most important thing to me about the Trailblazer Award is that it has Dr. Barbara Hibner's name on it,” Pettit said. “She fought in the trenches for women at a time when there was not the public support that there is today. She had the courage to lobby, negotiate and at times annoy people in power so that women could become pole vaulters, basketball players and gymnasts. Those same battles led to other significant opportunities as physicians, entrepreneurs and leaders in our community.

“The best way for us to honor her spirit is to ask ourselves what biases, based on ignorance, we are clinging to today that will strike our great grandchildren as odd. I am pleased to receive this award because it allows me to stand with Dr. Hibner and many other courageous people at the University of Nebraska who have witnessed for equal opportunity and coached us toward a more enlightened culture.”

Pettit served as the head coach of the Nebraska volleyball program for 23 years before announcing his retirement following the 1999 season, creating a legacy of success and a foundation for the future of the sport. He was just the second volleyball coach in NU history, as the sport was not sponsored by the athletic department prior to 1975. Under Pettit’s direction, Nebraska won a conference championship in his first year, his first of 21 conference titles in his 23 seasons at Nebraska.

“Coach Pettit is the godfather of Nebraska volleyball,” current NU Head Volleyball Coach John Cook said. “He has always had the insight and wisdom to look ahead and to see what we can do to push the envelope. One thing I have taken from Coach Pettit is the ability to see the big picture and look beyond the box, as he calls it. Nebraska volleyball is what it is today because of Terry Pettit.”

A two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Pettit won 743 career matches (694 in Division I) and has an amazing .820 winning percentage. When he finished his coaching career, he ranked fifth nationally in winning percentage and sixth in total wins. In 1996, the United States Olympic Committee honored Pettit with its inaugural Elite Coach-of-the-Year award. He was also the 2004 recipient of the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award. Pettit will be inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame this December in Tampa, Fla.==========

HUSKERS OPEN CONFERENCE SEASON WITH KEY BIG 12 ROAD GAMES...

Sophomore defender Blair Slapper and the Huskers hit the road for a pair of Big 12 road games at Colorado and Texas Tech.

After compiling a 4-0-1 mark in its five-game homestand, the Nebraska soccer team takes its show on the road when it opens Big 12 play this weekend with a pair of key conference games at Colorado and Texas Tech.

The Huskers and Buffaloes will kickoff at 5 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 25 from Prentup Field in Boulder, Colo., before Nebraska travels south for Sunday's Noon conference battle against the Red Raiders at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Nebraska (5-1-2) is an incredible 13-0 in Big 12 Conference openers since the league was formed in 1996. Seven of those victories have come on the road, while three have been over ranked opponents, including last year's thrilling 2-1 double overtime win against No. 25 Kansas.

Fans will have an opportunity to watch Friday's game at Colorado on www.cubuffs.com with a paid monthly subscription ($5.99). Both Colorado and Texas Tech will offer live stats on the school's official websites, while Huskers.com will provide live updates on the NU Soccer Blog.

HUSKERS AND SUN DEVILS FIGHT TO A DRAW...

Lincoln - Freshman Morgan Marlborough found the back of the net with 16 seconds remaining in the first half, but Nebraska (5-1-2) was unable to hold off Arizona State (5-1-2) as the Huskers and Sun Devils fought to a 1-1 double overtime tie at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Sunday afternoon.

==========HUSKER SOFTBALL OPENS FALL SEASON THIS WEEK...After opening fall practice just one week ago, the Nebraska softball team hits the field this week for a pair of doubleheader scrimmages at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers will host Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. on Wednesday before welcoming Wayne State at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Admission is and Husker fans are invited to attend. This week marks the first competition of Nebraska’s fall schedule. The Huskers will also face Bellevue, Nebraska-Omaha and South Dakota this fall.

Following the four scrimmages this week, Nebraska will close out the fall season by hosting the Big Red Fall Classic on Oct. 3 and 4. Admission is again free and the Huskers will be wearing pink in support of a Strike Out Cancer promotion. More information on this event will be available next week.==========

HUSKER HUMOR...(From an old squadronmate of mine who is a true-blue Husker fan!)...

We Husker fans amuse ourselves by scaring every Colorado fan wesee strutting down the street, with that obnoxious Black & Gold"CU" on their shirt and/or hat. We swerve our vehicles as if tohit them, and swerve back just missing them.

One day, while driving along, I saw a priest. I thought Iwould do a good deed, so I pulled over and asked the priest, "Whereare you going, Father?" "I'm going to say Mass at Our Lady of the HillsChurch, about 2 miles down the road," replied the priest . "Climb in,Father. I'll give you a lift." The priest climbed into the rearpassenger seat, and we continued down the road.

Suddenly, I saw a Colorado fan walking down the road, with that "CU"shirt on, and I instinctively swerved as if to hit him. But, as usual,swerved back into the road just in time. Even though I was certain thatI had missed the guy, I still heard a loud thud.Not understanding where the noise came from, I glanced in my mirrors,but still didn't see anything.

I then remembered the priest. I turned to him and said," Sorry Father, I almost hit that Colorado fan." "That'sOK," replied the priest, "I got him with the door!" GO BIG RED!!!